Modern Mining August 2024

SUPPLIERS TO MINING INDUSTRY

Komatsu Mining Technologies to launch hard rock miner in South Africa In line with its diversification strategy, equipment manufacturer Komatsu will soon be introducing the Komatsu hard rock miner to local shores, which will springboard it into commodities beyond just coal to industrial minerals, potash and limestone.

Hard Rock Continuous Miner MC51.

K omatsu Mining Technologies (KMT) currently supplies Joy equipment primarily to the coal mining industry – an industry, which albeit robust, continues to face logistical headwinds stymieing export potential. The new hard rock miner, which recently underwent trials at mining operations in Canada and Australia, will be launched officially at MINExpo INTERNATIONAL, the industry’s largest global mining event, which takes place at Las Vegas, in the US, from 24th to 26th September, KMT’s director for marketing sales and service, Ryan Gaylard, tells Modern Mining. “This exciting venture signals an entry

rock miner, to mine much more selectively. Komatsu’s latest hard rock miner, an ideal product for underground applications, is equipped with the latest technology making it extremely cost effective and highly efficient in selective mining.” KMT will launch its new hard rock miner in South Africa before the end of the year, says Gaylard. Coal conundrum on Komatsu business While global requirements for coal remain strong, underpinned by demand from populous countries – including China, India and Europe – for cheap power solutions; the Paris Agreement’s call for reduced emissions and a lower carbon footprint and the local industry’s

point into the hard rock mining segment and will open up a plethora of new opportunities for Komatsu, including the chance to apply learnings from the coal mining industry to the hard rock mining space and aid customers in improving efficiencies and reducing their cost per tonne.” Over the past decade OEMs have been advancing rock cutting technology to ensure limited damage to underground mining areas being blasted. “During the drilling and blasting process the surrounding rock and support structures are the most impacted. To mitigate this, miners employ equipment such as the continuous miner or a hard

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